Callum Ilott to run rest of 2021 IndyCar season for Juncos

Callum Ilott‘s first foray into the NTT IndyCar Series has received a bump from one to three races. On Friday, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced Ilott will run the final two races of the 2021 season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in addition to his already-announced début at the Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday.

“The entire Juncos Hollinger Racing organisation is thrilled to keep Callum Ilott onboard for all three races to finish off the NTT IndyCar Series season,” stated team co-owner RIcardo Juncos. “We are looking forward to a great debut as a team tomorrow on track and to build on each session throughout the next few weeks.

“Callum brings a great deal of talent, and we have all been working hard together over the past few weeks to build our program, so it feels great to carry this relationship as a team for the rest of the season.”

The 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship runner-up and current Scuderia Ferrari test driver tested an IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Thursday. Besides marking Ilott’s first race in the series and the United States, Sunday’s Portland GP will be the first for Juncos Hollinger Racing under the alliance between Juncos and Brad Hollinger. It was not announced if Ilott will commit to the series in 2022, though receiving the opportunity to run the final three races would be a step in that direction if both parties wish.

“On top of starting my début weekend in the NTT IndyCar Series with Juncos Hollinger Racing, we will also be finishing off the championship together,” added Ilott. “Let’s see what we can achieve in the next couple of weeks at some awesome circuits.”

Ilott joins a recent trend of European drivers dipping their feet into the IndyCar world. Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean mainly races on the road and street circuits while fellow ex-F1 racer Kevin Magnussen débuted at Road America in June. Christian Lundgaard, who raced against Ilott in F2, also has a start at Indianapolis in August.